Ladies and gentlemen, the world’s first hoverboard is here! Well, that is if you have $10,000 to spare, millions of dollars to pave your city’s streets in copper, and don’t put a high value on stability or safety. It’s called the Hendo, and it uses new magnetic field architecture tech to provide energy efficient levitation.

In the realms of electronics, magnetism, and quantum mechanics, superconductivity has an almost mythical status. Some materials, when cooled to a critical temperature, electrical resistance instantly drops to zero and magnetic fields are completely ejected. Superconducting magnets are already used in MRI machines and particle accelerators like CERN’s LHC, and are being considered for advanced maglev trains. Zero electrical resistance means that a current can flow around a superconducting coil indefinitely (at least 100,000 years) without any applied voltage — a feature that could completely revolutionize power distribution, power storage, electric motors, computers, and more.

Ladies and gentlemen, the 15-year wait is finally over: HUVr Tech has announced what appears to be the first ever hoverboard. Dubbed the HUVr, the device appears to function almost exactly like the hoverboard used by Marty McFly in Back to the Future Part II, but with the addition of a handy iPhone and Android app that can be used to control it. Of course, don’t just take my word for it — if you doubt about the veracity of the HUVr’s ability to float a few feet off the ground, let the dulcet tones of Tony Hawk and Moby reassure you. Seriously – watch the video.

The longest, largest, and fastest maglev train in the world, situated at the Yamanashi test track in Japan, has restarted public testing. The test track has recently been extended to 42.8 kilometers (26.5 miles), allowing for a five-car prototype train to be routinely pulled at speeds of over 500 kph (310 mph). The train accelerates to max speed in under three miles, and according to the Japanese journalists the ride is very smooth. On the inside, anyway: Externally, according to one journalist, the L0 Series train created “a shock wave and a massive gust of wind … a deafening sound that made conversation all but impossible” as it passed by at 310 mph.

Nano3D Biosciences recently showcased a new technology in which they magnetically levitate four kinds cells found in lung tissue and assemble them into realistic bronchioles. Not only do they not mind if you use their techniques for yourself, they have made a “Mad Scientist Kit” available free of charge to any serious user, and offered hard cash incentives for the most innovative use of their product.

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